


Cape's Not Required

by portraitofemmy



Series: Capes 'Verse [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-19
Updated: 2013-01-19
Packaged: 2017-11-26 02:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/645758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/portraitofemmy/pseuds/portraitofemmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Sam met Blaine Anderson, he nearly punched him in the face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cape's Not Required

**Author's Note:**

> Klaine is endgame. I know this. I’m not saying this is how I want canon to play out. But there are pretty boys being emotionally available for each other on my screen, what am I supposed to do? Also, this pretty much ignores all the Sam/Brittany stuff

The first time Sam met Blaine Anderson, he nearly punched him in the face.

Of course, things changed from there on out. Sam was living with Kurt and Finn’s family, and Blaine spent a lot of time at the Hudson-Hummel house. They existed in a state of neutrality for the most part. Kurt usually pulled Blaine away to his room anyway, so the only times they really saw each other was during meals.

Still, by the time Nationals rolled around he’d struck up a kind of tentative friendship with Blaine. They didn’t hang out much, Blaine seemed to spend most of the time he didn’t spend with Kurt hanging out with Mike, and Sam had more in common with Finn when they weren’t fighting over girls.

But at group events, they’d sometimes talk about comics and that could be fun. Blaine never seemed to get annoyed by his impression, even if he didn’t find all of them funny, and Sam suspected Blaine didn’t have many people to talk about comics with. Kurt didn’t seem the type to be interested in them, and Mike’s focus was pretty regularly split between school, dance, sports and Tina. Sam was happy to be the guy Blaine geeked out with.

Of course, everything changed when Kurt left. Blaine seemed to lose his shine a little bit, his cell phone constantly in his hand like he was afraid to miss it buzzing if he put it in his pocket or bag. When Brittany suggested that he run with Blaine for class president, he was happy to do it, though more for her than for Blaine.

Then came the big surprise: he actually really liked Blaine. Sure, there were some things Blaine was into that Sam didn’t really get, like fashion. (And Sam didn’t think he’d ever be as enthusiastic about musicals as Blaine and Kurt were, as much as he loved singing.) But Blaine could hold his own talking about football, even if he never played himself because he’d always been too small, and he liked comics, and he was actually pretty good at video games, even if he wasn’t as much of a fan of first-person shooters as Sam.

It was nice, to bond with Blaine in a way he’d never really been able to with Kurt. He’d meant what he said to Kurt when they met, he didn’t have any kind of problem with gay dudes. He liked Kurt a lot, had lived with him as a brother for over half a year and still lived with his family. He would never expect Blaine to give up the things in his life that Sam didn’t understand, and never judged him for them. It was just nice to have something in common.

It took him a while to realize how much of a surprise that was to Blaine. He couldn’t imagine being expected to trim out the parts of himself that other people didn’t like, but Blaine did it so easily. It made him want to work extra hard to show Blaine that he really did like him for exactly who he was, not for what he did.

That got harder, though, when suddenly Blaine just stopped doing everything. The details of The Klaine Breakup, as Artie called it, had remained a mystery to most of the club. Half of them were too new to really care much and the other original members like Tina and Artie were too loyal to Kurt to ask Blaine his side. Sam felt for Blaine, he really did, but he’d gone through break ups before, and all he’d wanted was to be left alone. Plus, he had play rehearsal, well, Blaine had always been a pretty independent guy. Sam figured he’d be fine.

It wasn’t until it was almost too late, when Blaine’s locker was almost completely cleared out, that Sam realized how wrong he had been. Blaine was his best friend at school, and the thought of Blaine leaving for Dalton hit him hard. Sam would really miss him, and he hated that Blaine was beating himself up for a mistake. Sam had never cheated before, but he’d been cheated on and he knew how shitty it felt. Still, looking at Blaine’s broken face, he couldn’t imagine anyone wouldn’t be able to see how much he regretted it.

“I just wanted to stop feeling like a bad person,” Blaine said quietly, like he was talking to himself more than he was to Sam.

And that just didn’t make sense to Sam. Because they’d been working together as class presidents for months, and Blaine had pushed for more school-wide community service than Sam had ever seen at McKinley. Blaine was unfailingly kind, even when he didn’t shouldn’t be, even when the rest of the club had been pushing him not to be. Blaine was honestly one of the best people Sam knew.

So he resolved to be a better friend after that. Clearly being left alone was not helping Blaine, so Sam stuck closer, talked more, bumped shoulders, elbows, hips whenever he could, just because it made Blaine smile. He didn’t realize Blaine had stopped smiling until he started again, but he wondered how he could have missed it. Blaine lit up when he smiled, and seeing him happy made Sam happy.

They still didn’t hang out much outside school, though. Sam was still living with Kurt’s family, and even though he knew that Blaine and Burt had some kind of weird bond, he didn’t think Blaine would want to be surrounded by all those reminders of Kurt. Occasionally Blaine would invited him over to play video games or practice for Glee, but Sam got the feeling that Blaine didn’t really like having people around his family.

Still, when Blaine approached him shyly after a Superhero club meeting, still decked out in his Nightbird costume, and asked him if he wanted to hang out, he jumped on the chance. Blaine’s parents were out, as they often seemed to be, so Blaine pulled out Left for Dead and the Dark Knight DVD, motioning for Sam to choose while he called for pizza. Sam felt too restless for a movie, so he grabbed the game and turned on the xbox, connecting the controllers while Blaine grabbed soda from the kitchen.

Blaine had never exactly been good at this game, but he didn’t usually suck this badly. At first Sam didn’t notice, preoccupied with the game and the food. But after Blaine respawned in a closet for what felt like the 30th time, he started to see the way Blaine’s eyes kept flicking to his phone, which was resting on the table.

He let it slide at first, maybe Blaine was waiting to hear from his parents or something. But once Blaine abandoned him to deal with a Tank on his own so he could check his phone, Sam knew something was up.

Pausing the game, he turned to face his friend, who was sitting still, staring at the phone in his lap like it had betrayed him by not ringing. “What’s up, man?”

Blaine was quiet for a minute, eyes on his hands and a small frown creasing his forehead. “Kurt has a date tonight,” he said quietly.

Sam blinked in confusion. “And he told you that?” Sam had been through his fair share of break-ups, and he couldn’t imagine an ex-girlfriend calling him to tell him they had a date. He knew that Kurt and Blaine were trying to save their friendship, but still. That seemed cruel.

“Of course he told me.” Blaine rolled his eyes, looking up at Sam through his lashes with that sassy sarcastic glare that made Sam smile a little. “He’s always going to be an important part of my life,” Blaine said with a sigh, turning the phone over in his hand. “I’m glad he told me. It just…hurts. Because it means he’s moving on.”

Blaine voice cracked a little, his eyes getting over bright. With a sharp, throbbing pain in the gut, Sam realized Blaine was crying. He’d seen Blaine act numb, act sad, act angry with himself, but he hadn’t seen Blaine cry yet. Horribly, he wondered if it was just because he hadn’t been looking.

Carefully, Sam reached out until he could lay a hand on Blaine’s shoulder, warm through the material of his cardigan. Blaine’s body shook under his palm, wracked with sobs. He didn’t think about it as he pulled Blaine towards him, and Blaine came easily, slumping against Sam’s shoulder as he cried.

Oddly enough, the thing that struck Sam most was that Blaine felt tiny against him. He knew that he was taller than Blaine, that most guys were taller than Blaine, but when Sam wound his arm around Blaine’s shoulder, he just felt so small. How could so much emotion be contained in such a tiny frame?

Sam wasn’t the best with words, he didn’t know what to say when his best friend broke down crying. If Blaine had been a girl, he might have promised that everything would be okay, that it would work out it the end. For some reason, though, it felt like he owed Blaine more than that. He couldn’t promise that everything would be okay, so he didn’t say anything at all, just held on until Blaine had cried himself out.

He looked a little embarrassed once they broke apart, shoulders hunching in and eyes flicking around, trying to find something to set on. “I swear I didn’t invite you over just to crying on you,” Blaine said with a forced chuckle, and Sam shrugged.

“It’d be okay if you did.” A small smile quirked at the corner of Blaine’s mouth, and Sam grinned back. “How about we watch the movie? I bet I can quote more of it than you.”

“You wish,” Blaine said weakly, but his shoulders lost some of their tension. If Sam sat closer than strictly necessary, and if Blaine leaned against his side somewhat gratefully, well. It wasn’t a big deal.

Or at least, it wasn’t supposed to be. Only Sam couldn’t stop thinking about it, the way Blaine fit against his side. He’d held Blaine close as he cried, and maybe Sam was a terrible person, but it had felt oddly good to be needed like that. Blaine was so small, for a guy anyway, but he was compact and strong. Sam knew that - he’d seen Blaine box. He’d seen the force behind Blaine’s strike, the way the shock of it moved up his arms and collected in his shoulders, the swing of the heavy bag enough to show the force of it. He didn’t know why this feeling was lingering so much. He tried to write it off as just feeling like a good friend for once.

Only then he started noticing other things about Blaine. The way his dark hair curled just at the base of his neck where the gel couldn’t quite contain it, the way Blaine was at the perfect height to drop his head right against Sam’s shoulder if he wanted too. Sam caught himself wanting him to.

Which didn’t make sense. Because he still followed the cheerios with his eyes when they walked down the hall without thinking about it. He’d still find himself absently looking at Brittany or Kitty’s legs in their cheerleading skirts. He definitely still liked boobs. But sometimes he’d catch himself following Blaine with his eyes the same way. It was confusing, and Blaine was his best friend. In a lot of ways they were closer than ever, and Blaine was smiling a lot more now. He even seemed to be striking up tentative friendships with the new Glee kids.

So what did you do when you thought maybe you were getting something of a man-crush on your gay best friend? He figured the last thing Blaine needed was someone else in his life getting weird on him. He should probably just talk to him about it. They had been meaning to see The Hobbit together, after all, they could grab burgers first and Sam could ask him then.

Only once they were settled at the bar of a local dinner, Sam with his double cheeseburger and Blaine with a garden burger, did Sam remember he wasn’t all that good with words. Oh well. Might as well go for it.

“How did you know you were gay?” He asked, and watched guiltily as Blaine choked on his soda. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, handing over some napkins.

“It’s okay,” Blaine waved him off, looking at Sam quizzically. “I don’t know. I just knew. I mean, when I started thinking… about people, I thought about guys. I guess I pretty much always knew? Though I did think I liked Rachel Berry that one time.”

“That was just booze though,” Sam reminded him, and Blaine nodded agreeably, taking a bite of the garden burger. Sam wrinkled his nose in distaste; he didn’t know why Blaine ate those things. Sam had seen Kurt pack away burgers before, it wasn’t a gay thing. Then he felt guilty for thinking that. “I do like boobs, though,” he said absently to himself.

“I know,” Blaine said quizzically, looking at Sam like he was going crazy. “You spent like, 30 minutes this afternoon going on about how much you want to make out with Black Widow.”

“Yeah.” Might as well come clean. Sam swiveled to face Blaine. “But sometimes I want to make out with Captain America too.”

Blaine snorted a little, and Sam felt a flash of hurt. “My understanding is that there’s a fair amount of straight boys who would be willing to make-out with Chris Evans. I think you’re safe,” he reassure with a little wink, and Sam bit his lip nervously.

“Yeah, but I mean… Sometimes I want to make out with Nightbird too.” Blaine blinked at him, uncomprehending surprise on his face. “Or you know, just you. The cape’s not required.”

“Sam…” Blaine said softly, and there was a weird tone to his voice that Sam couldn’t place. “Was this a date? Dinner and a movie?”

Sam flushed. “It doesn’t have to be. It can just be bros seeing a movie.”

“I admit I don’t know a lot about the bro code, but I don’t think bros wanting to make out with each other is included,” Blaine fired back, and there was a hint of teasing to his tone.

Same smile hopefully. “So you do want to make out with me?”

Blaine sighed, and the smile slid off his face. “I don’t know what I want, Sam. I thought I wanted Kurt. But he doesn’t want me, and I’ve been trying to get over that.”

“I know,” Sam rushed to reassure. “I know your thing with Kurt was serious. I know you probably still love him. And in 6 months, we’re both going to be out of this town. I’m not asking for promises, Blaine. I just know that spending time with you makes me happy, and that I really want to kiss you.”

Blaine was still quietly picking at his burger, and when he looked up to meet Sam’s eyes his own eyes were tired. “I’ve had casual sex once, and it was absolutely the worst I’ve ever felt in my life. It didn’t matter, and I felt like I didn’t matter. I don’t want to feel like that again.”

“Of course you matter, though. You’re my best friend.”

A small smile crossed Blaine’s face. Hesitantly, he reached out, and Sam held up his hand so their palms slid together. Blaine’s hand was wide, strong in his, so different than the slight, thin girl’s hands he held before. He didn’t know which he liked better. But he did liked the way Blaine’s hand fit into his. “It can be a date,” Blaine said hesitantly. “I just don’t know what I can give you right now. As long as you know that.”

“I get that,” Sam reassured, and Blaine smile at him, a little sad, but more hopeful than Sam had seen in awhile. It felt really awesome to have that smile directed at him.

Blaine’s smiled turned shy once they got to the theater later, when Sam paid for both of their tickets. “I’m buying popcorn, then,” he insisted.

They didn’t end up eating much popcorn. At first Sam was too preoccupied with figuring out how to get a hold of Blaine’s hand, because he missed it’s wide spread in his. Blaine just glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, though, and then rolled his eyes in that sassy sarcastic way that made Sam smile and held his hand out.

After that they got tied up talking about the movie, hushed tones not quiet enough to keep the other movie goers from glaring at them. It wasn’t so much that he forgot that he was holding Blaine’s hand, as that it just felt natural to do what they would have done anyway, and well. Sam really liked geeking out with Blaine, as much as he liked holding his hand.

Blaine did drop his hand once the lights went up though, and for a minute Sam felt a little hurt. But then he remembered that they were in Ohio, and there had to be a reason he’d never seen Blaine and Kurt hold hands in public. Which was stupid, because Sam had come to this theater and held hands with Mercedes and Quinn, and he wanted exactly the same with Blaine. He felt the same, excited and a little bit fluttery, only Blaine knew him better than they had. It was stupid they couldn’t hold hands just because they were both guys.

“So you’re bi?” Blaine asked quietly, as they walked back to where they’d parked Blaine’s car, elbows bumping as their kept their hands from meeting. “That’s okay, you know. I’m not one of those gay guys who doesn’t think bisexuality exists.”

There was a note of bitterness to that, a reference Sam didn’t get, but he didn’t think this was the time to get into it. “I don’t know. Maybe? Maybe it’s just you.”

Blaine shook his head, chuckling like he was embarrassed. “Probably not. I’m nothing special.”

“Could have fooled me.”

Blaine paused as they got to his car, meeting Sam’s eyes. “I want you to kiss me,” he admitted, and Sam’s heart jumped into his throat. His foot was already out stepping forward when Blaine’s hand landed on his chest, stopping him. Blaine smiled a little, and Sam’s brow furrowed in confusion. “We’re in a parking lot in Ohio. I don’t really feel like a trip to the ER tonight.”

Right. Sam’s heart sank. “That sucks. I’ve never had to think about that before.”

Blaine shrugged one shoulder. “You get used to it. I don’t really want to kiss you while dropping you off at Kurt’s house, either.”

Sam couldn’t really blame him for that. “We could go park somewhere,” Sam suggested, but he could tell by Blaine’s nervous face that wasn’t a good idea.

“I wouldn’t feel safe,” Blaine was chewing on his lip while he thought, and it really wasn’t helping Sam stop wanting to kiss him. “We could… my parents are out of town, you could crash at my place. Just, you don’t even know if you’re going to like kissing me, but that’s kind of as far as I’m comfortable… for right now at least..”

Blaine trailed off at the end, and Sam rushed to reassure. “No, of course. That’s fine, that’s awesome.”

Being in Blaine’s room later felt weird. He didn’t know why it felt weird. It hadn’t felt weird to hold hands over the gear shift in the car on the way to the Anderson’s, Blaine smiling a little as he drove one handed, like he couldn’t quite stop. Now, though, there was tension, and once Sam thought about it, it made sense.

Blaine was hunching in on himself, looking small and a little confused, and sure they’d hung out here before, but the last time Blaine had been in here with someone and had the intention of kissing them must have been before Kurt left. This whole room probably reminded Blaine of Kurt. No wonder he was barely sleeping.

“Look, man, you know we don’t have to do this, right?” Sam started, worried. He reached out to lay a hand on Blaine’s shoulder, unable to keep from touching him now that he’d started. “I can leave, or we can just watch a movie until we crash, it’s cool.”

“No,” Blaine shook his head, looking up at Sam with big, brown eyes. Why was it so hot that Blaine had to look up at him? “I want you to kiss me. I’m just nervous.”

Blaine’s lips, when Sam leaned down to catch them, were warm and dry, softer than he would have guessed. Sam was used to kisses that tasted like lipgloss, but Blaine just tasted like skin, just a hint of his stubble rasping against Sam’s. It was kind of crazy good. A sharp gasp sounded throughout the room, and then Blaine’s lips parted, hot and slick and inviting. And wow, yeah. Crazy good.

They broke apart, panting a little, and Blaine reached out to steady himself on Sam’s arm. “Well?” He asked a little dazedly, and Sam laughed, reaching up to touch Blaine’s cheek softly. It made him smile, which made Sam smile.

“Definitely like kissing you,” Sam concluded, and Blaine laughed a little breathlessly. It just made Sam want to kiss him some more. So he did.

They ended up having to cool down after a while, the tantalizing press of a strong body a completely new thrill for Sam. Blaine was all flat plans were Sam was used to soft curves, strong and compact but still small enough to fit completely in his arms. Blaine kissed like he meant it, like he knew he was good and just went for it. It made Sam’s head spin, heat flare throughout his body, and he made himself push Blaine away before he got so lost in it that he forgot what Blaine said earlier about not being ready.

Somehow they found themselves curled up on their sides on his bed, facing each other. Blaine was really pretty, Sam decided. He didn’t know if it was okay for guys to be pretty, if him thinking that was offensive somehow. But he did think it, and maybe someday, once he’d figured this out some more, he’d tell Blaine that.

Blaine was starting to look a little sad again, though, and that was the last thing Sam wanted. “Hey,” he said, nudging Blaine’s knee where it was resting against his own. “Want to hear me do a Yoda impression?”

Blaine laughed, startled and bright and beautiful, his eyes lighting up and a real, wide smile stretching across his face. “Yes,” he agreed, eyes crinkled in the corners with his smile. “I’d love that.”

Sam didn’t know what he was doing, but as long as he could keep Blaine smiling like that, it was okay not to know.


End file.
